Preservation of biopharmaceutical materials is important in the manufacture, use, transport, storage and sale of such materials. For example, biopharmaceutical materials are often preserved by freezing between processing steps and during storage. Similarly, biopharmaceutical materials are often frozen and thawed as part of the development process to enhance the quality or to simplify the development process. Biopharmaceutical materials may also need to be stored and shipped at a certain temperature range.
When freezing biopharmaceutical materials, the overall quality, and in particular pharmaceutical activity, of the biopharmaceutical materials is desirably preserved, without substantial degradation of the biopharmaceutical materials.
The preservation of biopharmaceutical material, particularly in bulk quantities, often involves placing a container containing liquid biopharmaceutical material in a cabinet freezer, chest freezer or walk-in freezer and allowing the biopharmaceutical material to freeze. Specifically, the container, which is typically one or more liters in volume and may range up to ten or more liters, is often placed on a shelf in the cabinet freezer, chest freezer or walk-in freezer and the biopharmaceutical material is allowed to freeze. These containers may be stainless-steel vessels, plastic bottles or carboys, or plastic bags. They are typically filled with a specified volume to allow for freezing and expansion and then transferred into the freezers at temperatures typically ranging from negative 20 degrees C. to negative 70 degrees C. or below.
Single-use bulk storage containers such as plastic bags or other flexible containers often are damaged, leading to loss of the biopharmaceutical material. Particularly, the volumetric expansion of the biopharmaceutical materials during freezing could generate excessive pressure in an over filled bag or in a pocket of occluded liquid adjoining the bag material, possibly leading to rupture or damage to the integrity of the bag. Moreover, handling of such disposable containers, such as plastic bags, during freezing, thawing, or transportation of these containers often results in damage thereof, due, for example, to shock, abrasion, impact, or other mishandling events arising from operator errors or inadequate protection of the bags in use.
Similarly, thawing of bulk biopharmaceutical materials may involve removing them from a freezer and allowing them to thaw at room temperature. In certain situations thawing can also lead to product loss. In addition, in certain situations rapid thawing of biopharmaceutical materials may result in less product loss than slower thawing. Further, it may also be desirable to control temperature of the biopharmaceutical materials during a thawing process since exposure of some biopharmaceutical materials to elevated temperatures in certain situations may also lead to product loss. For example, it may be desirable to maintain a thawing biopharmaceutical material at about 0° C. when still in liquid and solid form during thawing thereof. In situations where thawing is desirable it is necessary to protect the biopharmaceutical material from damage which may occur due to impact or rupture to the containers.
In another example, jacketed stainless steel vessels receive biopharmaceutical materials therein for freezing and thawing. In a further example, bags are received in plate freezers to control the temperature of biopharmaceutical materials in such bags. However, jacket stainless steel vessels require significant capital costs and present a risk of cross-contamination. Further, the use of plate freezers to control the temperature of biopharmaceutical materials in bags or flexible containers requires a significant investment in the cost of the plate freezers themselves. Further, the flexible containers used with such plate freezers lack robustness, and may thus be damaged in use.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods for freezing, thawing, and storing biopharmaceutical materials, including containers and holders for such containers usable for the freezing, thawing, transporting and storing of biopharmaceutical materials.